The Kitchener Dutchmen open the season at home at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Tuesday night. The team had its regular season delayed because of cracks in the piping that cools the ice at the Aud. The Cambridge Winter Hawks beat Stratford 3-2 in a shootout in their last contest.
Last year, Kitchener lost only eight games en route to finishing the regular season atop the Midwestern Conference (36-8-5). But the team bowed out of the playoffs in the second round, losing to the Stratford Cullitons (4-1).
The Dutchmen had an average pre-season going 2-3. The team is likely still feeling each other out with plenty of new faces this year. Entering his final year of junior hockey, Kyle Ellis will anchor the blue line. Ellis had nine goals and added 20 assists with the Dutchmen last year.
